Man Utd Agree Deal to Bring Man City Starlet Charlie McNeill Back to Old Trafford
By Tom Gott
Manchester United have reached an agreement to sign 17-year-old forward Charlie McNeill from cross-town rivals Manchester City.
McNeill actually left Old Trafford six years ago in a £12,000 deal, and after a glittering youth career which has seen him credited with a ludicrous return of 600 goals, he chose to walk away from City this summer.
He was free to negotiate a contract with any interested clubs, but as he has only recently turned 17, City are still entitled to a development fee which can be settled by a tribunal if the two sides can't agree.
That won't be the case for this one, however, as the Manchester Evening News note that City and United have agreed on a deal worth an initial £750,000, which could rise to £1.35m and will also give City a percentage of any future sale.
McNeill found minutes hard to come by in City's Under-18 setup but now appears set to become one of United's young stars for the 2020/21 season.
Bolstering the academy has been one of United's top priorities this summer. While a deal to bring Borussia Dortmund winger Jadon Sancho over to the senior side has dragged on, United have been incredibly busy adding to their youth ranks.
Alejandro Garnacho, Marc Jurado and Alvaro Fernandez joined the Red Devils from Atlético Madrid, Barcelona and Real Madrid respectively, while Isak Hansen-Aarøen, Joe Hugill, Logan Pye and Radek Vitek have all been added to the squad as well.
United finished sixth in the Under-18 Premier League North last season, 20 points behind eventual winners City, but these new signings could well see that gap close over the coming year.
The two sides will first square off at the City Football Academy on October 3 before meeting once more on February 13.